


i will defend your every breath

by brookethenerd



Category: Eyewitness (US TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:16:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8763844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brookethenerd/pseuds/brookethenerd
Summary: au in which philip gets harassed by some guys at school, and lukas saves the day





	

Philip has always been good at sitting right beneath the radar. In the city, this was something he perfected. He managed to keep the fact that his mother was a junkie hidden from school until recently. He managed to survive as a gay kid in an inner city school; even if the majority of people don’t care, there are always those that do.

He knows how to survive, and he knows how to do it quietly.

But here, everything is different. Because of Lukas, because he’s involved with him, he has a giant bullseye on his forehead.

Philip stuffs his books in his locker, carefully propping Tommy’s camera on top of them.  

He feels bad using the camera. He knows that if he had never traded his jacket for it, Tommy would still be alive. He would probably be dead, but Tommy would be alive.

He closes his locker before the guilt starts to eat away at him, and when he turns around, comes face to face with 5 guys he knows well enough to know to avoid.

They’re exactly the kind of guys he would expect to screw with him. Cocky jocks, too handsome for their own good, heads inserted firmly up their asses.

Philip tries to push through them, only to walk straight into a wall of boys.

Philip isn’t the biggest or most muscular guy around. He can’t do shit against 5 guys.

He really hoped they would let him through. But the world doesn’t work like that, especially not in Tivoli.

He lifts his eyes to the boy in the middle; Alec.

“Going somewhere?” Alec asks. Philip takes a deep breath, scanning them, looking for a spot for him to push through.

They have him backed into a figurative corner, and he gets the feeling he isn’t going to get out of it easily.

“S’it true that your mom’s a junkie?” Alec asks, though it’s obvious he knows the answer.

“At least we know why he’s so small. Poor little crack baby.” Says one of the other boys. Anger flares in Philip’s belly, and one of his hands curls into a fist.

“Oh, tough guy, huh?” Alec asks, noticing the hand. Philip grits his teeth, and tries again to shove through them, in vain. Alec shoves him backwards, hands thrusting into Philip’s chest.

He slams back into the lockers, bag falling off his shoulder, head smacking the metal. He blinks away his shock, quickly getting his balance.

“Just let me through.” Philip says, voice hard.

“Or what?”

Philip considers it for only a second before he shoves.

He’s expecting the punch, but it still rocks him when it comes. His lip splits, and blood fills his mouth. He spits it out onto the linoleum, ignoring the fire in his mouth.

He gets shoved from the side, and slams into one of the boys. He rushes the same boy, slamming into him, hoping to push him back, to no avail.

“You’re trash, just like your mother.” Alec spits, getting in his face as the boys drag Philip off. They hold him by the arms as Alec sneers.

“Let him go, Alec.” A voice booms.

And in rides Philip’s knight in shining armor.

The thought comes into his head so fast he doesn’t even have time to be ashamed of it. By the time he processes it, he’s smiling. The situation is so ridiculous, he can’t help but smile.

“What are you smiling at, crazy? The drugs getting to your brain?” Alec asks.

Philip’s lips curl back in a grimace, and he wants to spit out some snarky comeback, but he can barely suck in a breath, his jaw and mouth so swollen.

Then Alec’s he’d knocks to the side, and the boys holding onto Philip let him go. Philip staggers back, struggling to regain his footing.

Lukas slams punch after punch into Alec’s face, and keeps going even after Alec has fallen to the floor, bringing Lukas with him.

Alec’s buddies drag Lukas off, holding him back long enough to help Alec up and pull him away.

“This isn’t over.” He snarls at Philip before retreating with his friends.

Lukas watches them go, and turns to look at Philip, frowning when he sees his face. He steps closer, presumably to help Philip, but Philip shoves him away.

“I’m fine.” He snaps.

“You need to go to the nurse.” Lukas says, approaching him again. Philip stops him with a glare.

“I said, I’m fine.”

“Philip-“

“I don’t need your help, and I don’t want it!” Philip says venomously. Lukas stops, reeling like he himself has been hit.

He doesn’t say anything as Philip catches his breath, grabbing his bag from the ground.

He takes a step forward, knees buckling. Lukas catches him, keeping him on his feet.

“You got hit pretty hard in the head.” Lukas says. Philip tries to pull out of Lukas’ grip, but doesn’t have the strength. Instead, he leans against Lukas, giving up his fight.

“M’fine.”

“Sure you are.”

Lukas helps Philip to the nurse, ignoring the many protests from Philip as they go. When they get there, Lukas explains what happened in vague terms, and Philip doesn’t do much to help, sitting there silently.

“Ill call your parents to come and bring you home-“ The nurse says.

“I can take him.” Lukas interrupts. She turns her attention to him, brows furrowing.

“We live close to each other. Plus, his parents work.” Lukas lies. The nurse gives him a long look, and sighs.

“Okay. He’s gonna need to see a doctor about his head. He could have a concussion. And make sure he-“

Lukas already has Philip on his feet, and his walking him towards the door. The nurse trails off when the door slams shut, Philip and Lukas on the other side.

“Liar.” Philip mumbles.

“Shut up.” Lukas retorts.

Lukas positions Philip in front of him on his bike, though it’s a bit awkward to ride that way. He brings him back to Helen’s house, and deposits him on the couch. He drops down next to him, watching him with concern.

Philip looks over at him, making a face.

“I told you I was fine. My head is just a little sore.” He says.

Lukas scoffs.

“Whatever.”

“You don’t have to stay.”

“I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“Gabe will be back soon-“

“No.”

Philip grumbles, and crosses his arms against his chest. Lukas grabs the remote, and starts flipping through the channels, before settling on some cartoon he used to watch with his mother.

For a few minutes, the two sit in silence and watch. It feels domestic, and peaceful. It’s something the two haven’t really done together; sat beside each other, not talking, not pretending.

Somehow, the simple act of sitting beside Philip, not having to put on a mask, takes pounds of weight off of Lukas’ shoulders.

“Why’d you get involved?” Philip asks once the show goes on commercial.

“Seriously? They were beating you up.”

“You’ve gone to great lengths to prove you don’t care.”

“Yeah, well, I do.” Lukas says.

The two fall back into silence, but the comfort of before is gone. There are so many unsaid words hanging between them.

“Thank you.” Philip says, finally.

Lukas doesn’t say anything, or even look over. Instead, he slides his hand across the couch, and threads his fingers through Philip’s.

And he doesn’t let go.


End file.
